Since crawling out of the smoke-filled (literally) ruins of stoner-jam giants Kyuss back in the mid ’90s, Queens of the Stone Age have carved themselves an increasingly unique Stonehenge niche in the modern rock biz. From R’s jokey drug catalogs to Songs for the Deaf’s AM radio-ready Dave Grohl drum assaults to Lullabies to Paralyze’s Nick Oliveri firing highwaycruiser vibes, Josh Homme has shown he’s not afraid to pilot the QOTSA cadillac into even the weirdest of terrains. And Era Vulgaris might just be the furthest step yet away from his riff-grounded rock lineage. The record overflows with studio experimentalism, subtle stereo touches and plenty of genuine WTF moments. An example: the hopefully ironically titled ‘I’m Designer,’ which struts on a minimalist new-wavey Devo riff with baffling falsetto vocals and lyrics like: ‘You’ve made me an offer that I can refuse/’Cause I see the way I get screwed/Counterproposal: I go home and jerk off.’ Counter-counterproposal: rock’n'roll? No such luck. Era Vulgaris finds the Queens fully bored with the Stone Age. For better or worse, this album is their time machine to elsewhere.

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